Cairns sights and landmarks guide

Cairns is the undisputed transit hub to visit the sights and attractions in the far-flung areas of northern Queensland (also known as Far North Queensland). The city gives access to hosts of natural and man-made attractions, both on land and on the sea, to attract tourists world-wide. As such, the city’s location is a key advantage; in addition, Cairns boasts of a tourism infrastructure at par with leading Australian cities like Canberra and Sydney.

Many Australia tourism groups offer tours of Cairns Sights as part of Cairns vacation deals. In case you can choose to tour the Cairns Sights on your own, you must make it a point to cover at least the ones we discuss here.

Cairns Sights – Natural Attractions

The greatest natural attraction of Cairns is certainly the Great Barrier Reef, which stretches on the entire length of Queensland and is just 50 km away from the shore. The Reef is the habitat of living coral and the environs where lifeless coral lie. Of course, there is more to see here in the water – different fish species, sponges, crustaceans, etc. All you need to do is go diving or snorkeling from any of Cairns’ coasts.

Next we discuss Cairns Beaches. Cairns has at least 3 famous beach areas –Ellis Beach, Holloways Beach and Machans Beach. Machans Beach is the most stunning, bordered on one side by tropical rainforest and on the other by blue-green water. While Ellis is a typically calm, white-sandy beach, Holloways is a busy beach area packed with vendors and merry-makers.

Cairns’ World Heritage Site, the Daintree Rainforest is the world’s oldest rainforest. The highlight of the rainforest is the Cape Tribulation National Park, which still has some specimen of ancient flora and fauna residing there.

Other Cairns sights that give you a peek into the natural world are the area’s four botanic gardens (Centenary Lakes, Flecker Gardens, Mt. Whitfield Conservation Park and Tanks Arts Centre) and the Crystal Cascades waterfalls/pools.

Cairns Sights – Man-made Attractions

Speaking of Cairns’ man-made attractions, we first introduce you to the city’s man-made gardens/parklands, namely, Cairns Esplanade and Cairns Promenade. Being entertainment zones, both see huge gatherings of locals. The former has swimming pools as well as biking/walking lanes and the highlight of the Promenade is the artificial lagoon.

Cairns also promises some specialty attractions like the Skyrail (also known as Kuranda Scenic Railway). The Skyrail is basically a cableway that runs over the Tropical Rainforest canopy and gives stunning views of the Rainforest.

Cairns also has some cultural sights. The highlight, of course, is the Tjapukai Aboriginal Park. The park is the property of indigenous Australians and here you will witness the perfect matrimony of Aboriginal culture with modern forms of entertainment. Besides, Cairns also has an art gallery, a museum, a civic theater and a convention center.